Reform school at age 6 for a mistake...
This falls into the category of "what the hell"?
Del. 1st grader faces reform school for camp toolA Delaware first-grader who wanted to eat lunch at school with his favorite camping utensil, a combination of folding fork, knife and spoon, now faces 45 days in the district's alternative school for troublemakers.
Hundreds of people were expected to attend a school board meeting Tuesday evening to object to the suspension of 6-year-old Zachary Christie from Downes Elementary School for bringing the camping utensil from home.
The folding knife is banned as a dangerous instrument under the Christina School District's zero-tolerance policy in the student code of conduct, and officials said they have to act regardless of his age or what he planned to do with the instrument.
Zachary's mother, Debbie Christie, is appealing her son's suspension and said she'd prefer that the district's policy take into consideration a child's age and intent.
"I understand why they have it, but I don't agree with the implementation of it," she told NBC's "Today" on Tuesday.
In an interview on CBS' "Early Show," Zachary said weapons don't belong in school.
"I agree that they shouldn't bring dangerous weapons to school but I don't think the punishment should be this bad," Zachary said. "It's not fair."
Zachary is being homeschooled for now.
"I do sometimes miss my friends and want to go back," Zachary said.
State Democratic Rep. Terry Schooley, who sponsored a bill to give districts more flexibility on punishments, expects a crowd at Tuesday's school board meeting.
"This has gotten really crazy. It's ridiculous," Schooley said. "There are going to be hundreds of people at the school board meeting. It's going to be a circus."
Zachary was ordered to spend 45 days at the Douglass School, an alternative school for children who violate the district's code of conduct. Students there participate in behavior modification programs and receive counseling.
"They've tried in the district to make it meet the needs of the child, but I don't believe it's really geared for a 6-year-old," said Schooley, a former Christina school board member. "If it were my child, I would do everything not to send my child there."
A policy is not a law. The school board can change the policy and is not mandated to do anything. That they can't demonstrates THEIR incompetence and stupidity. They seem to think that all those outraged at the board's stupidity are somehow "crazy". Think about it. These people are running "education" and don't have a clue as to what they are doing.
Let's remove the baseball bats, tennis rackets, screw drivers, knives and forks from the kitchen staff, pens, pencils, automobiles from the parking lot, screwdrivers from the maintenance staff, etc. for a truly zero tolerance policy.
I guess it was just too difficult for somebody to say, "Zachary, we just don't allow that here. I'll keep it until your mother or father picks you up this afternoon. Don't bring it again."
Labels: Education
Virginia Professional Educators
Competition is good. Now the
Virginia Education Association (VEA) which is associated with the National Education Association (NEA) has a competitor in the form of
Virginia Professional Educators (VPE). Teachers who are members of the VEA because of the fear of capricious administrators now have a less expensive alternative.
Like all unions, the VEA "taxes" teachers about $500 for this protection. Let's face it, most teachers don't join the VEA for political reasons. They don't care about being members of anything. Membership in the VEA at any particular school does jump when an administrator gets the reputation of capricious acts against or petty harassment of teachers. Until their jobs are threatened, they don't see a need to pay the $500+ a year the VEA charges for legal assistance. I know several teachers, including my wife, who feel that they were forced to join the VEA for this protection.
One other reason that many teachers don't join this "professional" organization is that they don't like the politics. The VEA has consistently supported liberal/progressive candidates (i.e. Democrats) who have promised raises, increases to school budgets, an end to the Standards of Learning (SOLs), and to block merit raises (anything actually which depends on teacher competence). Most of them haven't delivered anything but token pay raises and have actually supported the SOLs. Interestingly, the SOLs are apparently written to support a certain political agenda but that is a whole other topic...
The NEA is a national teachers' union and arm of the Democrat National Committee (in effect). They have been very supportive of liberal stands on everything and done very little to actually support education.
The VPA is now on the scene (apparently since 2003) and is making a big advertising push this year. Leading info on the home page at their site is this
All the professional help and protection that teachers need, without the partisan politics that teachers don't want.
That is a big selling point. Teachers are tired of a large amount of their dues going to support the questionable practices of the NEA.
Membership fees are much less as well. $168 is the typical fee for a year or about $300 a year less than the VEA.
Labels: Education
